Zipform Digital now White Ribbon Australia Accredited
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Zipform Digital has just attained White Ribbon Australia Workplace Accreditation status. It’s specifically designed to demonstrate to staff and stakeholders – customers, clients and partners – that a business is committed to gender equality and creating a safe workplace for everyone, and has been assessed and endorsed by experts in the field.
Richard Vaughan, General Manager at Zipform Digital, first broached formal White Ribbon Australia Workplace Accreditation with his management team after recognising that he wanted all staff to have a safe working environment at Zipform Digital and create a strong culture of respect.
“If we can help one staff member with this, then it has all been worth it. I also wanted anyone to feel comfortable to discuss difficult topics and behaviours. If anyone sees inappropriate behaviour in the workplace, then they should be able to call it out. All staff have a duty to make Zipform Digital a better place to work – not just management.
With 62% of the Zipform Digital workplace being male, it was commonplace during the long accreditation process that common misperceptions of family and domestic violence were experienced.
Richard again, “We saw that our staff perceived it to be only men’s violence towards women, however we learnt that it is much more than physical violence only. The statistics are frightening – in Australia, 1 in 2 women have experienced some form of sexual harassment, and family violence is the number one cause of serious injury and death for women.”
Being part of the accreditation program has also had additional benefits, with some staff reporting that it has changed the way they parent their kids. Instead of the usual shouting and fighting, they have started having more discussions around what acceptable behaviour actually is.
The accreditation program from White Ribbon Australia is not for the faint hearted
The process took more than a year, with significant investment and also provision of evidence to White Ribbon. Richard Vaughan took the opportunity to provide advice for those businesses considering accreditation.
“It is a marathon, not a sprint. It takes longer than you think. Open communication is the key and be prepared for difficult conversations because it’s a difficult topic to discuss. Leadership needs to be authentic, otherwise it will be difficult to implement and change staff views.”
For more details on White Ribbon Australia’s Workplace Accreditation visit their website.